Hey, new guy here! Ive got a 98 QC 4x4 Ram with 102,000 miles on it. When I go to engage it into 4Hi or 4L it runs great until I have to turn my tires about half way. The truck will jerk a little and the tires act like they are going to lock up. What could be the problem here? Thanks!

 

are you engaging 4 wheel drive on pavement? if so, dont. one of these other guys will chime in with an explanation of why not to do it, but from what i know, engaging 4wd on pavement causes binding and what not, in dirt, mud, lose gravel and such the tires can pull at different speeds and there wont be a problem...my .02

 

I engaged the 4wd on dry grass, when I tried turning around by making a circle and the tires got to at least half way turned its like one tire wants to turn before another and gets kinda rough. Also, im not sure if this could have anything to do with it....but I was in getting my truck rotated, balanced, and aligned and they had said I have a bad joint on my trackbar, which I have yet to get fixed. They said my front two tires would move slightly side to side going down the road with that bad joint. Maybe this coudl have something to do with it?

 

yea its not a good idea to drive in 4 wheel on dry pavement, the transfer case is a part time case as it doesnt have a diff in it like a full time case would. this means your front and rear are joined to gather and cause it to bind up. im too tried to get into the full details so ill leave that to radwebster or ROM

if its still binding in grass like that. its more then likely your U joints are messed up and you need new ones

 

I'd lean towards old, rusted u-joints..."most" of the time, when they're bad, they're worn and loose...but they can rust and seize up, causing that sensation.

 

Yeah, the u-joints on the front axles are known to go bad on these. However, to explain how 4 wheel drive works, the front gear ratio in my truck is a 3.54, while the back is a 3.55. All of them are like this - usually .1 ratio higher in the front so it will "pull" and to reduce harmonic vibrations in the transfer case. This means that on dry pavement or ground, the front will actually "jump" a little, especially when turning. Check your u-joints, etc out anyway, but you may not have a problem. Just don't use 4x4 on dry ground where the front tires can't "slip" a little.....

 

wow, i didnt know that about 4x4. thats really cool. this is my first 4x4 vehicle and i was going to take it to a parking lot to try out putting it in 4x4 and taking it out, just to get good at it. but i guess ill go to a field instead. thanks!

sorry that didnt help you jteg. but im sure the others did!